Red Wine Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Decant 1 hour before serving. Jake Cakebread came to a friend’s property in Napa Valley to photograph the area for a book in the 1970s. He fell in love with the place and returned the next day to purchase the property which later became Cakebread Cellars. Today seven members of the family are involved in running the estate which has some 225 hectares of vines spread across 13 different vineyard sites. Cakebread has built a global reputation for their premium Napa wines which express the quality of the local terroir and the family’s winemaking skill and expertise. For this punchy Cabernet head winemaker Stephanie Jacobs selects top quality grapes from Rutherford and Oakville for plenty of intense Napa fruit character. This is blended with grapes from the warmer Calistoga appellation to the north and the cooler southern Suscol watershed, helping to create a complex snapshot of Napa’s diverse microclimates and soils. To preserve delicate aromatics and the natural purity of the grapes they are harvested in the cool of night and sorted by hand in the winery. The fruit is then cold soaked to extract plenty of colour and tannins. Following vinification the young wine is then aged in French oak barrels for 17 months before Stephanie makes the final blend. The result is a powerful, full bodied Cabernet that’s bursting with cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, chocolate and coffee notes with firm tannins and a long, structured finish.
2018
Red Wine Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Red Wine Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir 2018. Drink now or cellar for up 7. One of California’s pioneering wineries, Calera was founded in 1974 by Josh Jensen who took inspiration from the legendary elegance of Burgundy’s great domaines. Josh found the perfect terroir for his visionary new winery in the Gabilan Mountains to the west of Chalone, an area which is now called the Mt. Harlan AVA. Today the 31 hectare estate is fully certified as organic and the vineyards are planted at an average altitude of 670 metres above sea level. Conditions here are ideal for crafting Burgundian-style Pinot Noir with plenty of finesse thanks to the cooler nights and proximity to the Pacific Coast. Fruit for this superb Pinot is sourced from a selection of sites in the Central Coast AVA. Once in the winery the grapes are vinified and the young wine is then aged in French oak barrels for 10 months before bottling. Alluring dark cherries, redcurrants and crushed wild berries burst out of the glass while the first sip reveals a medium body, smooth texture and fine tannins. On the palate there are seductive berry notes and hints of dried herbs which linger long on the tongue. The juicy fruit character and ripe tannins make this a great match for dishes like roasted duck, venison or earthy game stews.
2018
Red Wine Inama Campo del Lago Merlot 2018. Situated in the gentle rolling hills to the east of the city of Verona, the Inama estate was founded in the 1960s when Giuseppe Inama first began acquiring small plots in prime locations using his savings. In the 1990s the next generation of the family, Giuseppe’s son, Stefano, took over the winemaking and lead the estate in an exciting new direction with the introduction of more international grape varietals. Stefano also began experimenting with producing red wines like this Campo del Lago Merlot in the warm Colli Berici region. The Inama family purchased the vineyards of the Villa del Ferro Lazzarini estate where this wine was originally produced in the 1950s and 1960s. Its creator, Alfredo Lazzarini, was one of the first to recognise the potential of the Colli Berici for growing Bordeaux varietals like Merlot. The vines he planted here are now over 50 years old and produce wonderfully concentrated and intense wines in a very classic and elegant style. The nose is characterised by abundant dark fruit, sweet spice, and licorice notes, while the first sip introduces the ripe blackberries, blackcurrants, and dark chocolate notes. There is a generous full body, smooth tannins, and touch of bright freshness which brings the flavour profile into perfect balance.
2018